Teen accused of killing stepsister on cruise to be jailed pending trial

The 16-year-old charged successful the decease and intersexual battle of his stepsister, Anna Kepner, portion connected a cruise with different household members volition beryllium jailed earlier and during his trial, a justice has ruled. 

Timothy Hudson had initially been released pending proceedings aft being charged arsenic a juvenile successful February, but aft helium was charged successful April arsenic an adult with first-degree execution and aggravated intersexual abuse, Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres ruled helium was nary longer taxable to rules regarding juvenile detention.

"The Government has established, by wide and convincing evidence, that nary information oregon operation of conditions of merchandise volition reasonably guarantee the information of the assemblage going forward," Torres wrote successful his bid filed June 10.

Torres ordered Hudson beryllium handed implicit to the U.S. Marshals Service connected Monday greeting and past transferred archetypal to Citrus County Jail and then, eventually, to the Miami-Dade County Metro West Detention Center by nary aboriginal than July 10. 

Hudson was successful national custody arsenic of Monday night, according to a root acquainted with the matter. He had antecedently been successful the custody of his maternal uncle, per his erstwhile court-ordered release. Hudson has pleaded not blameworthy to the charges.

According to prosecutors, Hudson was traveling connected Carnival Cruise Line's Horizon with Kepner, who was 18 astatine the time, and respective different household members when she was killed in November 2025. The aesculapian examiner recovered that Kepner had been sexually assaulted and asphyxiated, tribunal records indicate.

According to the tribunal documents, Hudson and Kepner were unsocial successful the compartment they shared from astir 7:51 p.m. to 11:21 p.m. the nighttime she died. Prosecutors allege that Kepner's Apple Watch, which tracked her bosom rate, stopped moving during this time, which they judge is erstwhile the transgression allegedly occurred.

"The information posed by the behaviour charged present (the alleged first-degree execution and aggravated intersexual maltreatment of a young pistillate and step-sister of the Defendant portion they were successful confined quarters of a vessel astatine sea) is capable by itself to necessitate detention," Torres wrote successful his ruling. "A now-decreed big suspect charged connected probable origin with deliberately taking a quality life, and sexually assaulting his unfortunate successful the people of doing so, presents a information to himself and to others that nary curfew, monitor, oregon custodial placement tin beryllium trusted to contain."

Torres noted: "This is not to convict the suspect successful advance. The presumption of innocence remains afloat intact."

Torres acknowledged Hudson has nary anterior transgression past and that, up to this point, helium has complied with the conditions that were initially placed connected his release, but said that wasn't capable to warrant helium would proceed to bash so.

"A cleanable past is reassuring lone if it predicts aboriginal conduct, and an discourtesy of this gravity allegedly committed without antecedent informing signs undermines the predictive comfortableness that a cleanable grounds usually provides," helium wrote. "Compliance with conditions for a play of months, portion the astir superior charges were pending and the suspect was connected announcement that his liberty depended connected bully behavior, is likewise of constricted probative worth arsenic to however helium would behave implicit the longer and much uncertain roadworthy to trial."

Torres besides expressed interest that different minors were surviving successful the aforesaid location arsenic Hudson, writing, "The earthy response, removing him from interaction with susceptible household members, points to detention, not a information abbreviated of it."

Hudson's proceedings is scheduled for September.

CBS News has reached retired to nationalist defenders listed for Hudson and an lawyer for Hudson's father.

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